CHAPTER 7: Raven's Final Gamble
"I hope you are rather comfortable for the ceremony, Raven," Brother Blood drawled in a poisonously seductive voice as he and Blackheart stood at the head of the altar of Azarath along with a regretful and extremely pained Arella. Raven bit her tongue in rebellious silence, though inside, she was in complete and utter despair.
Her own mother betrayed her. She was alone, her friends and the few people who could understand her awaiting their doom upon Earth, and her secrets about her past and heritage now known thanks to Rogue. She was sure that her friends now hated her, were repulsed by her. Abandoned, with no family or people to protect her…she truly was the scourge of all of Azarath and the mortal world.
Raven wept silently, the tears running down her cheeks in sorrow and fear as she tried to fight against the bonds that Blackheart and Brother Blood magically entwined her in. Her wrists were lashed together by a band of crimson energy, as red as the hottest fire and the freshest spilled blood, and these energy handcuffs were connected to by a collar made of similar energy wrapped around her neck like a noose, making it difficult for the Titan to breathe as it choked her, burning her skin. And in addition to these restraints were two sets of red rings that lashed her upper arms to her body, squeezing her torso like a vise, while the second ring bound her legs together, preventing her from running. And to make it even more humiliating, Brother Blood had the rings position themselves in such a way that it forced Raven to sit in a kneeling position right in front of the representatives of the Hellfire Club, on both knees as if she was a subordinate, as if she was bowing to them.
Raven would have opted for death had it been a choice since it probably would have been less embarrassing and painful. Blackheart's eyes gleamed a bit in triumph and satisfaction as he lumbered over to the subjected girl and leaned down, peering into her face. Raven was tempted to spit into the demon's face, and then suddenly regretted not doing so when Blackheart roughly grabbed her chin with his clawed thumb and forefinger, studying her face.
Blackheart then said in his inhuman voice, "You truly are a remarkable child, young Raven. Had you been known to the Organization earlier, we would have gladly welcomed you as a member with your strengths and power…"
"Get your hands off me!" hissed Raven as loudly as she could, the jewel embedded in her forehead starting to glow intensely with her telekinetic powers due to her anger and outrage. But upon the use of her telekinesis and rage, the restraints around her body began to crackle before pulsing, red energy snaked throughout her body like electricity, and the Teen Titan screamed in pain as the surge burned her skin, leaving her in agony before it mercifully subsided. Raven panted, trying to quell the urge to vomit, as she started to cry. God, it hurt so much. Even being hit with an exposed power line would have been less excruciating. Arella gasped, and she made an attempt to scurry to her daughter's side, but Blackheart stopped her with his claw, forcing the robed woman to remain still.
Raising an eyebrow, Brother Blood said in a condescending tone, as if he was scolding a small child, "Temper, temper, Titan. Those energy bindings we trapped you with will cause you pain each time you even attempt to use your powers against us."
"And we are extremely lucky to have been able to do so…" muttered Blackheart darkly as he slowly ran one clawed hand over the numerous burns and lacerations on his right thigh and side, "You were not easy to subdue, young Raven…"
Indeed, Brother Blood and Blackheart inwardly flinched at the memories of how badly Raven fought tooth and nail using her powers of her soul and her shadow-forces of telekinesis, not only using her powers to try to rip and decapitate the two intruders upon sight, but she summoned numerous objects and nearby implements to use as deadly shrapnel and projectiles to bludgeon Brother Blood and Blackheart to death. It took about fifteen minutes before the members of the Hellfire Club could physically subjugate the girl and magically imprison her. But even then and unable to use her telekinesis, Raven managed to successfully bite Blackheart on the arm and leaving deep teeth marks, and when Blackheart gave her a slap across the face for her impudence, this earned him a well-placed kick between the legs (which was why they decided to lash her feet together as well).
Had Raven not been vital to the Organization and the Hellfire Club's plans, Blackheart would have gladly killed Raven right there and then (after he recovered from the pain, of course).
Blackheart was sullenly cross, especially since he was a representative of the Thirteenth Order, a council that had dealt and toyed with the forces of Light and Darkness that dwarfed Trigon and his legacy. To have Trigon's daughter easily put up a fight with Blackheart, a creature and demon that could easily be classified as the Anti-Christ himself, was worrisome. Brother Blood, however, appeared as fresh as a daisy, especially since Raven and Arella could see, to their surprise, that every cut and wound and bruise Raven gave Brother Blood had healed themselves, leaving him unscathed.
Another side-benefit to the Cadmus' work on "Operation: Shaggy Man".
"Enough with the stalling," Brother Blood said as he then turned to Arella, commanding sternly, "If you wish to save your daughter and Azarath when Trigon manages to arrive to Earth, let us commence with the ceremony. And I warn you Arella, betray the Hellfire Club in any way, and you shall never be able to save your daughter or Azar's legacy…"
"No! I…I will give my blessings for the wedding! Please, just keep your promise and spare my daughter!" Arella gasped, jumping in hurriedly and intent on doing whatever Brother Blood demanded. Yet Raven's head perked up at this statement, horrified.
"What?" she gasped, hoping to God that she heard wrong. Marriage? With Brother Blood? Such a thought was enough to make Raven vomit out of nausea until her stomach was empty. Brother Blood's grin became truly vulpine, crafty and thoroughly relishing the dawning realization of fear and dread on the teenager's face.
Brother Blood explained, "It is all part of the Hellfire Club's grand plan to ensure our safety during the Armageddon once the arrival of Trigon comes to pass. You see, by the prophetic revelations of the Head Priest, Azar, and his faithful order centuries ago, Trigon may indeed use you as his portal, but you, his one and only child, in all definitions of the term, shall be safe while Azarath and Earth shall perish if and only if you are bonded in heart and soul to another person. Unfortunately, by your same law, two souls can only merge during the ceremony of holy matrimony…in other words, the sanctity of marriage. However, by Azarathian law, if any two beings are wed and given blessing by any member of Azar's order, then any powers and statuses between the two beings shall be shared. And you, my dear Raven, are a Chosen Child of Trigon's legacy, a child in between the world of Azarath and Trigon's evil, a girl born with unspeakable and infinite powers, enough to make her a god. Should I manage to ever marry you, we could create a blessed union that could very well rule the world. I, myself, altered by the body of the Shaggy Man, could be invincible and with your powers, I would truly be an almighty being beyond any mortal coil of the pitiful planet of Earth! And since I am a representative of the Hellfire Club, the marriage performed with you shall also protect my standing with them, and by consequence, the Hellfire Club's standings and soldiers, including Emma Frost's precious Hellions. And by the same token, because I would share your soul thanks to the act of marriage, the union shall ensure that a part of your soul shall remain whole and safe while your body perishes from being used as the portal to bring about the end for Earth. In other words, the marriage shall protect you from dying upon opening the portal, and it shall protect myself and the Hellfire Club and the Hellions from the Armageddon, leaving us free to rule over the planet as true sovereigns."
"You sick deviant!" Raven hissed, "There is no way you'll ever gain the blessings of Azar's order, especially to someone like you! And you're an idiot if you think Trigon will remain faithful to you and the Hellfire Club for freeing him! He's the embodiment of all evil in Azarath! He'll betray you as soon as it suits him!"
At this, Blackheart eyes gleamed shrewdly and rather deviously as he rumbled, "Ah, you must think that the Hellfire Club is foolish to not foresee that possibility. I assure you, daughter of Trigon, that the oracles of the Hellfire Club have prophesized that Trigon shall never rule the Earth. Yet during his brief stay, should he manage to destroy the Titans and G.I. Joe and the mutants with them, then it shall be an incredible side-benefit for the Organization once the Heartless invade the Earth at the Gathering of Twilight…"
"Even so, the marriage shall not be honored!" Raven shrieked, frantic, "I will never accept Brother Blood as my husband! That alone nullifies the union!"
"Ah, but it can be overridden if a higher order member gives the blessing for you, Raven…" Blackheart snarled with pitiless satisfaction. Raven's face turned white as she turned her hurt, shining eyes at her mother, Arella, who was standing at the head of the altar with self-loathing and grief.
She then knew why her mother was needed with Brother Blood and Blackheart…
"No, Mother! You can't! You can't doom the Earth like this! Please!" the Titan Goth pleaded, whimpering and nearly weeping with loss of hope. But Arella gave Raven a look of utmost sorrow as she trembled, her white robe quivering.
"I am truly sorry, Raven," she said, her voice and eyes misty as if she was about to break down right then and there, choking, "But…I cannot allow Trigon to survive and wreck havoc on Earth just as he did with Azarath. Already, I am the only surviving priest of Azar's order, and the very future of Azarath is threatened towards extinction. I cannot stand by and allow the prophecy to come to pass without some way of ensuring that you would be spared and that Trigon can never darken this world under his infinite omnipotence. If Brother Blood and the Hellfire Club and the Organization ever triumph during the marriage, then at least Trigon shall not rule and the Heartless shall be the lesser of two evils to engulf the Earth. And at least then, Azarath as well as you shall be spared from oblivion…"
"Is that why you agreed to this, then?" screamed Raven, now hysterical, "Is that why you betrayed me to Brother Blood! Mother, you cannot do this! Preserving Azar's benevolence isn't worth the risk of destroying the Earth! Just because the Heartless are not part of Trigon's influence does not mean that they're the better option! Arella, stop this! Don't do this! You can't!"
Arella pleaded, "Raven, please do not fight this! This was the only way to save your life and Azarath's legacy and heritage to the worlds beyond. Raven, please understand that I am doing this to protect you, because I do not wish to lose you! I do not wish to see you perish to the birthright of your father, that I promised you to Brother Blood so that I could continue to help and love you, like I always have! Just like I have done to raise you under Azar's care and instruction for peace and light and hid you away from Trigon's knowledge!"
Raven then lost it completely as Blackheart picked her up forcefully by the nape of her neck.
"I would rather die! I would rather die than doom the world and my friends! You are no mother of mine! A mother would never selfishly endanger her own child like this! You're no better than Trigon!" Raven spat. At this, Arella's heart broke as she brought her slim hands to her face and started weeping softly, but Blackheart was in no mood for emotion as he carried the struggling Raven.
"Commence the ceremony, Brother Blood…" Blackheart intoned.
"Let go of me!" Raven howled, but Blackheart grabbed the Teen Titan by the neck, his claws encircled around her throat and squeezing none to gently, stifling her screams. Brother Blood then donned the cape Arella had bequeathed to him whole Arella, still broken and entirely regretful, handed the member of the Hellfire Club a simple ring consisting of a plain golden band with runes carved inside and out. Brother Blood smiled as he knelt over and forced the ring on Raven's finger in her right hand.
"Do not fight it, my dear, for there is nothing you can do," Blood said in a jesting tone, "The ring of Azar, worn by the High Priest himself, bind you to me while the Mantle of Azarath I bear over myself grants me the power to force you to complete the rituals to summon Trigon as we have promised him. The Mantle of Azarath, the cloak that had been believed to be the prayer shawl of Jesus Christ himself, grants me and you instant immortality and power beyond any man's wildest dreams! And as much as you believe otherwise, you nor your newfound friends and allies can do anything to stop it…"
"But I can stop it! GAIA…FIST OF THE BEAST KING!" roared a familiar voice from high above, and upon the words, Blackheart's eyes began to glow as he raised a claw and summoned a rune of mystical blue energy, encasing himself, Arella, Brother Blood and Raven.
"Inferno!" Blackheart intoned, and immediately, the rune circle let loose a furious barrage of artic ice, shielding all four of the residents as the assault of ki energy in the shape of the lion's head struck them full-blast, yet incredibly, it left them unharmed and intact. Raven's breath caught in her throat as she and the others saw Leomon leap gracefully down from the rooftops of the altar, his sword drawn and his eyes narrowed in new peaks of viciousness and fury, his snout bared into a snarl.
"Blackheart…" Leomon spat with disgust and the want for untold vengeance, instantly recognizing the demon sent by the Thirteenth Order, "I should have known you would be here, involved with the Armageddon."
Blackheart turned to Brother Blood and Arella, rumbling, "I shall distract the lion. Complete the ceremony as promised by the Hellfire Club to Trigon. Open the portal!"
"I'LL KILL THE KID FIRST BEFORE I LET THAT HAPPEN!" Leomon snarled as he blitzed, his legs a mere blur from dashing so fast at incredible speeds but Blackheart raised his hands as the symbol of the Heartless began to glow intensely on his chest.
"Final Judgment!" the demon yelled, and instantly, numerous spirits and dark demons attacked Leomon as they materialized out of nowhere only to set themselves upon the lion swordsman with teeth and claws bared and ready to rip him to shreds. Leomon managed to hack and slice his way through the demon army with his sword before he ignored the rest of the pestilence and leapt out towards the other three, his sword specifically drawn to Raven…
Kaaa-sshhaaakkkkk!
Leomon growled as he was pushed back by the shield of mystical energy that Blackheart encased Arella, Brother Blood, and Raven with right before Leomon could kill all four of them with his Fist of the Beast King. At the same time, Brother Blood was holding Raven close to his body while Arella took out a slim, silver dagger in the shape of a beautiful and exquisite cross from the folds of her cloak. Raven didn't even have time to yelp in pain as she drove the knife into Raven and Brother Blood's joined hands, the blade gouging through their palms and pinning their hands together in a symbolic union, the blood pouring through their wounds and mixing together.
"No…" whispered Raven as Arella said in a choking voice of grief, giving her blessing on behalf of Azar's order.
"I, Arella, High Priestess of Azarath and the surviving member of Azar's Order, hereby bless the union between Brother Blood, member of the Hellfire Club, and my daughter, Raven, child of Azarath and Trigon. By the relics of the Mantle of Azarath and the Ring of Azar, I pray for the blessings of honor and power that is between these two souls. By the power and might of all the spirits of Azarath, I invoke the blessings of the union of souls…"
"No!" yelled Raven and Leomon at once before Leomon attempted to break through the barrier again, but Arella continued in as calm of a voice as she could muster, her eyes hollow and empty from her grief and hurt at betraying her daughter.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Arella intoned.
"Yes…" Brother Blood hissed as he felt Raven's soul and power begin to flow into his consciousness, into his very being and heart.
"Kashakan Reverklakim Quarala…" Arella whispered, shaking as Blackheart blasted Leomon again before the lion solder could try using another Fist of the Beast King to break the shield.
"No…" whispered Raven as the red runes, the very writings of doom that appeared when Slade showed her the prophecy on that night of her birthday, began to glow brightly upon her skin again as three circles of red energy began to surround her, "No, stop it!"
Arella continued as if she had never heard her daughter's pleas for mercy.
"Zinthos Rumbinach Karzatay Yannult…" Arella intoned.
"No!" Raven cried as she began to fade away, the runes engulfing her body with white light and slowly erasing her physical body from view, having it perish bit by bit as the light spread, slowly but surely.
"…Utal Weqak Azarath Pietag Juriv Metrion Manaclay Essau Vidurion!" finished Arella in a final tone before she clasped her hands to her mouth and weakly began crying again as her daughter was soon disappearing forever. Yet Raven's final thoughts were on her friends, how they would be at Trigon's mercy, and how they, the X-Men, and the Misfits would perish. She did not want that to happen to them, so with her last breath, the witch whispered her final act of friendship as she sent as much of her soul and power out to Earth as she could…
"Be safe…" Raven whispered before the light consumed her, and she vanished entirely.
"It is done!" crowed Brother Blood in a final triumphant voice, his aura all around his body now gleaming with the power and soul he stole from Raven right before he summoned the telltale shadow powers to teleport himself, Arella, and Blackheart out of the temple and away from Leomon's threat.
"No!" howled Leomon, but Brother Blood, Blackheart, and Arella were gone, leaving him alone in the now desecrated temple of Azarath.
"Damn it!" cursed Leomon before he quickly turned around and fled Azarath as quickly as he could. If Brother Blood and Blackheart truly had been able to invoke the portal, then that meant…
"By the Great Beast, may Fate help us as of now…" Leomon murmured darkly, the closest thing he could ever say to a prayer as he jumped through a rift in the time and space continuum to make his way to Earth as speedily as he could.
---
Meanwhile, the battle between Slade and the heroes over at Jump City was arriving gruesomely and violently at a stalemate…
"You all really have no choice in this matter," Slade crowed, his eye gleaming in triumph as all around him was a pure maelstrom of deadly fire glowing as hotly as the Mark of Scath on his forehead, "The Hellfire Club and the darkness shall triumph over all of your pitiful attempts to delay the inevitable. The portal shall be opened, and He shall arise again…"
"Aw, shut up, and stick that mumbo-jumbo up your ass, Slade!" Low Light snarled as he rushed at Slade, his fists ready while Storm already flew above, high in the sky, all the meanwhile summoning ferocious clouds and artic winds of sub-zero temperatures, besieging the Heartless and Slade with hail and the cold.
"You are sorely mistaken, Slade, if you think that we will allow you to hurt Raven or any of the other children!" she declared in a hard voice, brimming with anger. In conjunction to her mood, the winds began howling as some of the Heartless screamed while the winds tore at their faces with bullets of ice, the hail as sharp as any knife and just as deadly. Unable to escape the snow, the Heartless could only moan and wail in pain as their faces and black flesh were cut to ribbons from the pelting shards of hail and snow, their bodies now starting to be leaden with snow and frost, weakening their limbs and draining their energy bit by bit. Ororo then growled before she concentrated her attack directly on Slade himself, her hands pointing directly at the assassin and summoning a tornado of wind and ice to surround the messenger of the Hellfire Club, but undaunted, Slade raised his hands and a snake of flame quickly engulfed the winds and ice without any effort. Storm gasped at how quickly he nullified one of Nature's strongest forces. Slade then was about to incinerate Storm but Low Light was quicker.
"Not wise about leaving yourself completely open during Storm's distraction, Slade!" Low Light roared, changing into solid steel, his body stats now naturally increased significantly in defense and strength before he charged at Slade with fists flying. Now forgetting his attempts to kill Ororo, Slade, forced to fight hand-to-hand, leapt back without much worry as he nimbly evaded every punch and kick the Joe sniper sent at him before returning a few punches on his own. Low Light winced as Slade was apparently strong enough to even leave solid fist-shaped indentations in a hunk of steel metal that was at least a two feet thick. Yet being a soldier for G.I. Joe for a number of years taught Low light a few things. With a lunge, Low Light sent himself flying at Slade with his elbow first, and Slade simply sidestepped, letting Low Light rush by before he delivered a crippling blow on the lumbar region of the Joe's spine. Or at least he thought. Low Light, in split-second timing, transformed himself into a pink gaseous cloud as Slade's foot just made contact but then while the assassin's foot was flying into Low Light's vaporous mass, Low Light then transformed back into steel form, and to Slade's surprise, he found himself facing Low Light with his foot firmly pinned and embedded into the center of Low Light's chest, stuck between mid-transformation. And that one moment of surprise was enough time for Low Light before he deftly grabbed the sides of Slade's mask and twisted hard.
There was a satisfying crack.
Low Light said solemnly as he transformed and released his hold on Slade's dead body, letting it topple to the ground, "It's over, Slade."
Yet to Low Light's surprise, Slade's foot came to life before it struck Low Light directly into the chest hard, causing the blond G.I. Joe to go reeling back, coughing up blood. Damn it, he could have sworn that he heard a rib break. Low Light looked up to see, to his astonishment, Slade get up easily from his sprawled position on the floor before he grotesquely placed his hands on the sides of his own head and realigned his broken neck back into place with a series of disgusting and sickening sounds of bone breaking. Low Light's jaw dropped.
Slade should have been dead! No one could survive a broken neck!
Slade then summoned his flames of Trigon's evil fire from his hands, his voice now laced with malice, "You have now truly begun to anger me, Joe."
But before Slade could melt Low Light into a puddle of liquid steel, a voice called out right before Slade was rammed back with incredible force before he was sent flying into and through the wall of a nearby building. Slade didn't even let out a sound, but Low Light saw the fleeting look of surprise behind the assassin's mask as Cannonball thrust Slade with the same force of a one-ton swinging wrecking ball.
"Then add me to the list, Slade! Leave him alone, ya' flamin' cow-pie!" Cannonball yelled as Slade collided with the brick wall and was left partially buried under rubble. Sam then turned to Low Light worriedly, but the sniper grinned appreciatively at the X-Teen.
"Thanks for the assist, Sam."
At the same time, Shipwreck, Roadblock and Cover Girl were shooting at any Heartless they could get in range, with Cover Girl using Low Light's sniper rifle, Roadblock using his machine gun, and Shipwreck using his dual Eagle pistols. Despite their limited number of bullets, the Joes used their ammunition sparingly, conserving whatever they had and not wasting a single metal projectile for empty air. Knowing that with so many Heartless could easily overwhelm them in seconds, the Misfit-handlers opted to take out the front lines of the Heartless army as best as they could as the army of Slade tried to swarm all around their group, and with the dead Heartless lying dead in front of their fellow monsters, the creatures behind them were significantly slowed down as they tried to make their way around the barricade of dead Heartless monstrosities.
However, Cover Girl, Shipwreck, and Roadblock soon realized that for every one Heartless they killed, three to four more took its place. If anything, the Heartless army was growing larger and larger, multiplying before the Joes' very eyes. Slade seemed to have no end of these evil creatures.
"Where are these things coming from?" Cover Girl shouted over the din of the wails and growls of the dying demons of darkness, "They keep coming on towards us! The bullets don't even slow them down! Nothing we do scares them to back off! It's like they're not afraid to die!"
Cover Girl then readied her bead in the very center of the forehead of one hulking and grotesque Heartless with tentacles instead of arms before she fired from the scope of her rifle. The Heartless died without a sound as it toppled to the street, in spasms of the throes of death while glistening pools of dark liquid leaked from its messily ripped head.
"Charley, can't you use your telepathy and knock 'em out for us?" Shipwreck yelled as he let loose several bullets into the head of a charging Heartless, its claws raised high over its head and ready to slash and hack Shipwreck where he stood. Upon the siege of bullets at its weak point, the Heartless fell, half of its head now missing and leaving a gory hole of black flesh and matter. Professor Xavier shook his head as Roadblock let loose several rounds at another line of the Heartless.
"I can't! It's exactly how we tangled with the fire Heartless Slade summoned back at the Jump City Bay! The Heartless are immune to my telepathy! They're mindless souls, unaware of their surroundings and only have a drive to do as they are told! I can't use my telepathy on something that has no mind, no consciousness of its own! They are mere puppets being controlled by Slade somehow!"
"Then knock out Slade! Without their master, the Heartless will be easy to evade!" Roadblock yelled as he shot another monster. Yet the Professor shook his head again.
"I can't! He now had stronger mental shields as opposed to last time! I can't shut him down even if I tried to my full capacity! Wherever Slade is, he's much prepared against myself or Jean's mental probes!"
"Great, just great! This possibly couldn't be any more perfect!" Shipwreck griped sarcastically, his voice hard, as he aimed and fired a bullet directly into the left eye of another Heartless, causing it to perish instantly as the bullet entered its skull and tore into its brain. Yet Bobby then had an idea…
"This should slow 'em down!" Iceman yelled as he then used his powers to stop the incoming Heartless by creating a wall of ice all around, trapping several of the dark monsters and actually entombing them into the frozen wall. Enraged, the Heartless began roaring as they pounded and slammed the solid ice barrier with their claws and appendages, the drones doing their best to break through and charge their way through the artic frost. Yet Tarot then came to her allies' aid…
"Fire Card! Melt the ice wall!" she commanded as she drew the aforementioned card, animating it with her mutant ability, as to Bobby's extreme disappointment, flames spewed forth from the tarot card right before it consumed the ice walls Bobby had created, and with a loud hiss and a surge of hot steam, the blockades were reduced to steaming puddles in minutes, freeing the Heartless and allowing them to continue on, unhindered.
"Hey, no fair!" Bobby yelled. Tarot sneered at the teenage member of the X-Men.
"I'm a Hellion. The Hellfire Club says you're not supposed to fight fair," the red-haired mutant shot back without much remorse as she drew a Rope Card, thinking of helping the Heartless by using it to incapacitate the X-Men and the Joes, but Dragonfly was quicker…
"I don't think so, you witch!" Dragonfly yelled as she flew by with her wings aimed directly at the stack of cards in Tarot's hands, and taken aback, Tarot jumped back as far as she could, and Lina's wings brushed past, but somehow miraculously succeeding in shredding a good number of the cards in the Hellions' hands, and leaving Tarot's fingers shredded and bleeding.
"My cards!" Tarot shrieked with rage at how the female Misfit demolished them. Now livid, Tarot held up one of her few intact cards from her other hand.
"Harpoon Card!" she screamed, and Lina gasped as a metal spear materialized out of thin air with a flash of light before it sped like an arrow directly at the insect-like mutant in the air, ready to pierce her directly in the heart. But Bobby was quicker…
"Lina, get down!" he cried, and Lina ducked, shielding her head with her arms as Bobby created a wall of ice in front of Dragonfly, allowing the harpoon to fully embed itself into the ice without harming Lina.
"Are you all right, Lina?" Bobby asked as he ran to the girl's side, worried, as Toad and Xi immediately pounced upon Tarot, attacking her with multiple kicks and punches. Lina then flung her arms around Bobby's neck and hugged him gratefully.
"Oh Bobby, you saved me! Thank you!" Lina cried, still shaken at how close she was to being killed. Bobby looked as if he won a million dollars as he wrapped his arms around Lina's slim waist and hugged her back soothingly, not caring that a jealous Fred was giving him the evil eye rather wrathfully.
Score one for the Ice-Cube…
Wolverine dashed by madly in between the Heartless, his adamantium claws drawn out and shining without a speck of dust or tarnish, glittering under whatever faint traces of sunlight managed to find their way through the total solar eclipse. None of the Heartless were even agile and quick enough to grab the elder X-Man as he dashed madly in between them, not caring if he was in the very thick of the enemy battalion. Leaping and strafing and running like a wild animal, Wolverine easily brushed past the Heartless and sank his claws deep into their heads, their sides, slicing their legs as easily as a knife through butter….any part of the Heartless' bodies that Logan could get at. Some fell, mortally wounded, while others sank, twitching, heavily injured and crippled, but not entirely dead and they leaked dark-colored blood. Still, it made no difference to Logan. Any wounds that did damage to the creatures of the Hellfire Club was fine with him.
Meanwhile, the Hellion Beef was having a little bit of an embarrassing predicament…
"Yeow! Let go of my butt, you little worm!" Beef yelped as he tried to reach behind his back towards his posterior to where Silkie, the pet mutated worm of the Titans, was stubbornly sinking his razor sharp teeth into Beef's flesh. Yet amazingly, the worm scurried over and over out of the way of the mutant's fingers right before chomping hard on Beef's rear again, leaving multiple bleeding lacerations. Beef couldn't even have his hands get close to brush against the mutated larvae. And Lockheed, never one to leave a friend alone to fight, helped his fellow animal ally by diving over and over around the Hellion's head and letting loose furious blasts of dragon-flame.
"Yeeeoooooowwww! That hurt!" Beef screamed as his face and head was now singed and sporting second to third-degree burns while parts of his blond hair were still aflame and smoking. Lockheed then left a special personal gift in addition to his fire-breath as he let loose…
"Aaaaauuuuuuggggghhhh! That's it, you little Barney-reject! When I get this worm off my butt, you're dead, you hear me! Both you and the Titans' stupid Silkie are dead!" Beef bellowed as he chased Lockheed who was trying his best to flap and maneuver in the air out of Beef's reach, the Hellion now sporting a rather unpleasant pile of dragon-dung on his forehead, the mess dripping off his hair. Yet Cyborg then decided enough was enough as Beef suddenly found himself at the receiving end of a powerful stream of sonic energy, the blue column of power cutting through the air. And despite his superhuman strength and invulnerability, Beef was unable to maintain his ground as the detonation of sonic force sent Beef flying high at an elevated angle before Beef crashed into the third-story windows of a nearby skyscraper, the glass shattering and cutting him multiple times upon impact, leaving a jagged hole.
"Uh-uh, hands off the dragon and worm, Beef!" snarled Cyborg, his bionic sonic cannon on his right arm still smoking slightly from the discharge he plunged right into the center of the Hellion's chest. Next to him, Lockheed and Silkie roared and squealed appreciatively.
Meanwhile, Hank spotted a fallen concrete streetlight that had somehow been knocked over during the deadly brawl…
"Gambit, I must request of your assistance with that streetlight from your position on your left!" Beast ordered in an urgent yet somehow inappropriately polite tone. Remy looked at the stone pole, blinking twice before it came to him what Beast wanted him to do. The Cajun X-Man then knelt down next to the streetlight and laid in hands upon the scratchy surface, transferring massive amount of bio-kinetic energy into the structure itself while Razor and Bezerker provided Beast and Gambit cover from Bevatron using a combination of their glovatrixes and martial arts. Within several seconds, the lamppost was glowing bright red as the energy Remy pumped into it rearranged the molecules to a very unstable state at their very core levels.
"It's all yours, mon ami!" Remy announced as he backed off. With a grunt, Beast hefted the incredibly burdensome pole of stone and metal above his head, his ape-like hands firmly gripping the column firmly. Using every fiber of his strength, Beast flung the streetlight pole as far as he could at a small gaggle of Heartless that was making their way towards Speedy and Bumblebee. The Heartless gave several noises of confusion as the very last thing they saw was the incoming, glowing stone pillar descending upon them…
KAAA-WHHHOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!
"Nice shot, you guys!" Bumblebee cheered as she and Speedy were able to hastily retreat while the explosion killed many Heartless at once and sent their nearby comrades flying.
Yes, the battle was quite ugly and neither side was appearing to be winning over the other. At best, the Misfits, the Titans, and the X-Men could only stall Slade and the Hellions.
Unfortunately, the tide of battle took a turn for the worse…
"Hey, what's happening?" Tabitha gasped, several energy bombs ready in her hands, as she and the others could see the Heartless roaring as they slowly but surely retreated, their yellow eyes glowing hotly with glassy expressions on their blank faces.
"Huh? They're…they're not attacking us?" Beast Boy asked, stunned, as he reverted back to his human form from the elephant he had previously transformed into to crush several Heartless. Yet Slade and the Hellions' expressions grew smug as the sky began to glow an intense red, the color or lava and blood, the clouds now turning black.
Blind Master gasped as he sensed the disturbance in the air, his senses screaming as a cold wave of evil aura started gather all around Jump City, and he yelled in his communicator, "Everyone, something's coming! I can sense it! Whatever is happening, it's happening now!"
"'The skies will burn'…" Amara gasped as she held her hands over her mouth, quoting the sentence she remembered from the prophecy, "Oh by the Gods of Nova Roma, he's coming! Scath's coming, you guys! Slade and the Hellions must have managed to bring him into our world!"
"And now you shall witness the futileness of fighting against the inevitable might and power of my master and the Hellfire Club, you delusional fools…" Slade remarked as the sky began to glow, a rift of time and space in this current dimension of Earth began to glow intensely like a nova of white light. Indeed, all of them, the Titans, the Joes, the X-Men, the Misfits, and the people of Jump City could all witness the tear in the fabric of reality growing larger and larger.
"Oh shit…" cursed Shipwreck.
The hole was now immense, the size of Jump City itself, and the X-Men, the Joes, the Teen Titans, and the Titans East could see a large figure making his way through…
"Holy goddamned kats!" exclaimed Jake.
A colossal hand, clawed and with leathery, tough skin as red as blood and marked with brown scars plunged its way through the portal before making a fist. The appendage was so large, it could have easily crushed an entire Sentinel robot like one crushes an empty soda can.
"No way! It can't be! It just can't!" Piotr shouted in dread.
Two sets of demonic eyes managed to peer down upon the battle as the rest of the figure's face was shrouded and silhouetted by the intense light radiating from behind it.
"Goddess…" Ororo whispered, her face blanched, white, and clammy with fear.
A foot then landed heavily upon the pavement of the city, causing the nearby buildings to crumble, crushed at once, while the foot caused enough of a tremor to make a sizable tidal wave in Jump City Bay…
"Oh my God, it's Scath!" Rogue gasped.
"The Earth is mine!" howled Trigon in exuberant glee as the thousand-foot demon now emerged fully in his entire glory from the portal, his voice echoing through the entire continent, and with a sneer, the demon lord raised one hand before a crackling nova of red energy materialized from his fingers and let loose an explosion that engulfed the city in crimson fury.
"No! We won't let this happen!" Spirit cried out, yet before the light engulfed them, the Misfits, the teenage X-Men, the Teen Titans, and Titans East were suddenly covered with a ball of dark shadows, each adolescent shielded by a soothing and cool telekinetic force.
And slowly but surely, all the buildings in Jump City and indeed, the entire world, was reduced to rubble as the lakes and oceans dried out, the air grew thick with sulfur and ash, and every living thing perished upon sight, instant and quickly with no suffering, as the red aura of Trigon spread quickly throughout the whole globe, changing it from a beautiful planet of flora and water to a mass of cinders and a ball of glowing lava and barren, dead rock.
"Yes, this world and all that live shall be under my rule!" Trigon declared before he turned to Slade and the Hellions, "And you have kept your part of the bargain, so I shall uphold mine! The Hellfire Club and their associates shall be my right hand!"
"Yes, and now that you have arrived, we can finally discuss about you returning what has been lost to me…" Slade began but trailed off in shock and horror as he saw a group of familiar figures emerge from the cloud of smoke and steam from the surrounding magma.
"WHAT?" roared Trigon in disbelief. Indeed, to the demon lord's amazement as well as his followers, the X-Men, the Misfits, the Teen Titans, and Titans East emerged from the smoke and ashy plumes to realize to their own shock that they were still alive and functional. There wasn't even a scratch on their clothes, a scuffmark tarnishing their skin, and even Silkie and Lockheed were animate and safe and sound.
"How did they do that?" Monet half-spoke and half-shrieked in cheated bewilderment, "There's no way that the X-Men and the Misfits have our protection against Trigon!"
"What the hell?" gasped Aqualad.
"We…we're not frozen!" Menos exclaimed in Spanish, running his hands up and down his body, as if he wanted to just make sure that what he was observing was true and not an illusion of his mind. Jean then gave out a choked sob as she pointed to some familiar forms now frozen in stone.
"We're not…but the others are!" Jean cried, tears running down her cheeks.
"No!" Todd cried in shock, his eyes stinging, as he, the Teen Titans, the Misfits, the Titans East, and the X-Men looked to see Razor, Storm, Low Light, Roadblock, Xavier, Shipwreck, Cover Girl, Spirit, Beast, Blind Master and Wolverine all petrified, nothing more than lifeless statues of black and gray ashy rock, now forever left as stone monuments as testaments of the demise of Earth. Their limbs cracked with age, their faces frozen in expressions of shock and horror, their mouths agape in silent screams.
All the adults had been changed to rock; only the teenagers, their wards, their students, their sons and daughters were spared from a similar fate.
"It can't be!" cried Wavedancer, her body rigid from the sight.
"Flesh will become stone…" Remy said in a shaking voice, realizing the part of the prophecy that was coming true. Trinity, Justin, Kurt, Jamie, and Kitty then started to cry at once upon the sight.
"No! Dad!" Rina shouted before she broke down, sobbing. No, she couldn't lose him, not Logan, not the only parent who ever cared for and loved her, who made her feel like a normal teenager.
"This can't be happening! It just can't!" Fred bellowed in torment, his face ashen and his heart plummeting, and Lina was weeping uncontrollably as she miserably shook her head.
"It is! It is! We're too late! Mom, our parents, the adults…they're all gone!"
Scott angrily whirled his head at Slade and the Hellions.
"Well, at least it wasn't a complete loss," Roulette smirked, one hand on her hip while her other hand summoning a black ball of hex-energy, "Without their so-called loving parents and teachers, the X-Men and the Titans are as good as dead anyway…"
"Damn you!" Scott hissed as wrathfully as he could despite the hot ball growing in his throat and chest, whirling to face Slade and the Hellions and Trigon in rage. If looks could kill, Scott's glare of pure hate and vengeance would have easily disemboweled the enemy, quartered them into minute pieces and fed their remains to a pool of ravenous sharks. Scott was beside himself, lost in the need to kill, to avenge. Seeing the Professor, a man who was the only father-figure he ever had, was enough to make Scott lose it completely. Ripping off his visor, Scott let out the most powerful blast he ever could summon from his eyes as he let loose entirely at Trigon and his army.
"Scott, stop! Don't!" screamed Jean, cupping her hands to her mouth and hoping that Scott could hear her words and break out of his bloodlust.
Forge gasped, bellowing, "Scott, are you nuts? You'll kill them! You'll kill all of them!"
Starfire then murmured in growing realization, "I think this is what Friend Cyclops truly desires!"
Yet the optic blast had no effect as Trigon waved it off with a mere brush of his clawed hands.
"Insignificant insects!" Trigon bellowed to the heavens, and with another wave of his hands, all of the teenage mutants and heroes were sent flying, only to come crashing down onto a small plot of land.
"I think we're going to need a new plan, comrades," hissed Piotr in pain as he helped Kitty and Amara get up from their sprawled positions on the ground.
Trigon continued as his eyes began to glow, ready to obliterate the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Titans where they stood, declaring stoutly, "You may have a final blessing from my daughter, but you puny humans will never stop me from claiming this world as my own!"
"It shall never be yours, demon lord!" roared a bass voice as a figure pounced from the surrounding rooftops, sword drawn and ready while hurtling himself directly at Raven's father. Avalanche gasped as he recognized the figure first.
"Leomon!" he cried out as the X-Men, the Misfits, the Teen Titans, and Titans East could only watch helplessly as the lion warrior then let loose his greatest attack he could muster, streams of yellow-colored light and energy building in his right fist by the millisecond, crackling into a dangerous and deadly rage of ki energy.
"GAIA…!" hollered Leomon, pumping his fist in the air, and instantly, the heroes and the enemies below could see the red and smoky sky broken by the miniature sun Leomon was harnessing in his paw as all around, they could hear the unmistakable sound of a lion roaring.
"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"
"Mein Gott!" gasped Kurt, "That attack! It's huge! It's even more powerful than the one that destroyed the Heartless creature at the bay that saved Lance and Spirit!"
Indeed, the roaring lion's head rushed out at Trigon, but Trigon then let out a furious blast of energy from all four of his eyes and immediately eliminated the Fist of the Beast King right before it came directly at Leomon. Leomon gasped as he raised his sword in front of him, trying to block it. With a huge explosion, it was apparent that the sword was barely enough as Leomon fell from the sky, unconscious and injured, before plummeting down and crashing to the ground nearby.
"Leomon!" yelled Lance as he and the other teenage heroes then rushed to the fallen digital warrior. Piotr bit back a crude comment as he saw Lance place himself next to the unconscious lion's side and manage to heft his paw a bit, checking for a pulse; yet it wasn't lost on any of the X-Men how apparently worried and concerned Lance was for the lion's well-being. Avalanche exhaled a bit as he felt the strong life beat.
"I found a pulse! He's fine!" he declared.
"But none of you will be," Slade said coldly as he and the Hellions and the Heartless were about to attack. Robin drew out several Birdarangs from his utility belt, realizing that they were all cornered with no way out and that the only logical thing to provide a good defense was an excellent offense.
"Don't let 'em get close!" the masked teen vigilante commanded steely to the other Titans, the Misfits, and the X-Men before he turned to Cyborg specifically, saying meaningfully, "Ready for the duo 'Sonic Boom', Cy?"
The African-American half-robot grinned devilishly, readying his sonic cannon with a final click, saying, "Let's kick some Heartless ass!"
Without a second of hesitation, Cyborg and Robin roared as Robin flung all five of his Birdarangs, specially equipped from hours and hours in the Titans' lab to explode and release miniature explosions from the quarter-gram of Semtex explosives set inside the Birdarangs. Cyborg shot out his sonic cannon, and with a furious discharge, a good quarter of the Heartless army screamed as they perished in the sonic attack, rendered into nothing but bits of splattered goop.
Meanwhile, the other Misfits and X-Men were trying to contemplate their options for safety…
"We gotta get outta here, yo!" Toad shouted urgently as he shook Kurt's shoulder to snap him out of it, "We can't stay here! We gotta leave while the getting's good, yo!"
"Uh, Toad? We have a big problem with that one," Daria interrupted, her face white and clammy with fear, "The Mass Device is broken! It's kaput, gone! We tried sending diagnostic signals from our wrist-communicators back at the Pit and Misfit Manor, but we're not getting anything! We can't teleport out! The Mass Device is broken! So we're stuck!"
Pietro was now absolutely driven into his typical panic mode, running back and forth like a headless chicken along with the fellow speedsters, Mas y Menos, screaming as he waved his arms wildly, "Oh God, it's hopeless! There's no way out! We're stranded, finished, dead-ducks! Oh my God! WE'REGONNADIEWE'REGONNADIEWE'REGONNADIEWE'REGONNADIE…!"
"If we do, I pray ta' God that you go first," hissed Rogue with clenched teeth, resisting the urge to slap Quicksilver to simply shut him up. The X-Girl pretty much already arrived to the conclusion that the last thing she certainly wanted to hear was the albino's prissy fit.
"Justin, can't you orb us out?" Ray begged, grasping at straws, but the Misfit shook his head in dread, whimpering.
"No, I can't! I can't orb this many people at once! I'm not strong enough to do it!" Justin gasped.
"And even if you did, we don't have anywhere safe we can go!" Speedy snapped impatiently as he fired another smoke arrow at several Heartless, blinding them as they were engulfed by thick, choky charcoal and allowing Mas y Menos to drag Xi out of danger. The archer then knew that if he was going to die, at least he would die fighting. And the same sentiment was shared between the rest of Titans East, the Teen Titans, and the mutants.
"We'll have to risk it and try taking as much people as we can! Either that or we fight our way through and flee the city!" Althea decided, but Lance cut her off.
"No, we're not leaving Leomon!" Lance heatedly protested, "I owe him one! We're not leaving him behind!"
"I don't think we'll be able to leave anyway!" gulped Beast Boy as their enemies closed in for the kill, "We're completely cut off!"
"Oh boy, this can't be good!" Ray cried out, cringing.
"Hellions, kill them all," Slade commanded.
Yet to Trigon and the Hellions' collective surprise, dark auras swirled around Leomon, the mutants and the Titans before encasing them protectively into a shield of shadows, exactly as if Raven had used her powers on them, and to Slade's outrage, the dim forces of magic took into the shape of a crying raven bird with its wings outstretched.
"What the hell?" the sandy-haired Beef exclaimed in shock. Bevatron and Tarot then both used their respective electricity attacks and a Fire Card attack, but the instant the mutants' energy assaults struck the black aura, it was deflected with an incredible and furious backlash of dark aura. With a bone-chilling howl, the raven tossed its head back and spread its wings before it disappeared in a swirl of energy…and taking the Titans, the Misfits, and the X-Men with it.
With a blinding flash, all were gone, and the only thing that was left for Slade and the Hellions to descend upon was an empty plot of barren rock.
"They escaped! Damn it, Ms. Frost and the Hellfire Club won't be happy to learn that we didn't stop them!" Jetstream cursed, his hands clenched into fists and his teeth grit, but the fair-skinned Empath smiled cunningly as he shook his head, chuckling.
"Considering we managed to doom the entire Earth and that the X-Men and the Misfits are without their loser guardians and parents, it'll be easy pickings when they finally come back to try to stop Trigon and Slade," Manuel remarked, and the red-haired Tarot turned to Empath in skeptical astonishment at that statement.
"And what makes you so sure that they'll come back to stop us?" she asked in a hard tone, disappointed from achieving her mission for the Hellfire Club's glory, but Slade then answered, indicating that he was on the same mindset as Empath.
"They are the typical foolish heroes, my dear Marie," Slade intoned, "I would be severely disappointed if I do not see the Titans and their pitiful troupe of mutants attempt a final united frontal assault with a secret side-plan to help send Trigon back to his world and save the Earth. Keep in mind, Hellions, that all heroes act so sickeningly noble and predictable…"
"And what if they succeed?" Monet pointed out harshly, "The Hellfire Club and the Organization won't appreciate any possible chances of setback with Trigon and the Heartless."
Slade fiercely turned his eye to the raven-haired telepath, and Monet flinched a bit. Despite having an emotionless black and copper mask, Slade still managed to be quite daunting to the teenage protégés of the White Queen. Slade regarded the adolescent in front of him before he coldly intoned, "I would advise you Hellions to remember your place with me and my Master. And as for any possibilities of setback, the Hellfire Club had adequately prepared itself for such surprises the X-Men, the Misfits, and the Titans have up their sleeves."
"So you pretty much have everything covered, huh, Slade?" Roulette said a bit flippantly.
"Of course," Slade purred, and one could imagine a cat-like, calculating and shrewd smile behind the mask, "After all, I simply hate to lose…"
Meanwhile, at a pile of rubble, still smoking from its apparent destruction, the shadowy soul-self of Raven emerged out of thin air, giving off a shrill cry before the telekinetic soul-powers of darkness disappeared and with a flash of white light, the Teen Titans, Titans East, the X-Men the Misfits, and Leomon found themselves standing in the center of a barren yet desecrated plot of land. Gratefully, it was far enough from Jump City that the Hellions and the Heartless couldn't track them down.
"Whoa, like what a rush!" Kitty said in a dazed voice as she shakily tried to get her bearings, barely catching herself from toppling over. She was so dizzy as well as some of the other members of the group. Lance turned his attention to Leomon; the digital warrior was still unconscious and groggy, but he was alive and breathing and already starting to stir from being teleported. Lance exhaled wearily, but with some relief. Wanda noticed.
"You really care about Leomon, don't you?" Wanda asked softly, and unlike some of the X-Men, she had no scorn or disdain in her voice when she asked that question. Scarlet Witch understood why Lance was so worried about their enigmatic lion, but it was still a new sight for her. The only other person Lance had ever shown this much empathy and emotion besides Spirit was Kitty. Lance looked at her solemnly.
"Even if he's not on our side, I still owe him one. Spirit…" Lance choked, his grief threatening to break through before he forced himself to continue, "…Spirit would have wanted that."
"So, where are we?" Tabitha asked Robin as Sam leaned on her heavily as a lean-to from the injured leg he got when Monet attacked him.
"Yeah, why were we brought here?" Multiple asked, "I don't recognize this as the Titans Tower, and now that I think about it, how did we even get here?"
Jean then answered to her teammate, "It was Raven who helped us, this I'm sure of. I could sense the power and it's familiar to her signature. She must have sent her powers to protect us, to prevent us from being turned into stone like…like the adults…before she brought us here out of Scath's reach before he could kill us."
"So we're safe for now? Does that mean that at least here, wherever Raven sent us, we have a chance to catch a breather?" Roberto asked as he helped Ray sit down.
"We think so," Aqualad murmured, "But if Raven's power sent us here, then…does that mean she's safe?"
"Either way, Scath is still here on Earth," Speedy answered, "And from the looks of it, he did a number on the entire planet! I mean, look all around us! This is exactly like the vision we saw when Rogue absorbed some of Raven's memories! Now that Scath is here, the whole planet's dead!"
"You're right," gasped Amara, "That means no matter where we run…the Institute, the Pit, the Watchtower, even the Titans Tower, it'll be the same as everything else! Anything that wasn't destroyed and sent to rubble just has people transformed into stone from Scath coming into our world!"
"But…but why are we here, dudes?" Beast Boy asked, looking around, "This place isn't any different from Jump City, so why'd Raven send us here?"
Mas y Menos then spotted something horrifying next to them, and Menos, sick to his stomach, got the attentions of his friends.
"Uh…actually, I think this isn't the same as Jump City, Beast Boy," Menos shakily murmured in Spanish as he pointed with a finger, and turning around, the mutants and the Titans instantly felt sick. Menos was pointing at a section of the rubble that was strewn with several dead bodies, all of them children and teenagers no older that the X-Men and the Misfits. Unlike the grown-ups, these cadavers had not been turned to stone by the fate of Trigon's prophecy. The heroes did not recognize them, but it was gruesomely vile and revolting nonetheless, with the children staring at empty glazed expressions, the faces frozen in death, white and cold. Some were horribly hacked and ripped apart, as if set upon by animals with sharp claws, while others just began to rot in puddles of their own blood, their organs forcibly torn out of their torsos. One girl in a strange silver and blue uniform had half of her entire face clawed off, and through the gaping hole on her face, the Titans, the Misfits, and the X-Men could see her skull and dangling eyeball hanging from her empty socket.
"Mein Gott!" Kurt cried before he made the cross with two fingers in the air, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…"
"This is barbaric!" Quinn exclaimed, "They're just kids! Like us!"
Justin then completely lost it as he fell to his knees and vomited on cue, sobbing. Pietro, though he understood Whitelighter's aversion, managed to sneer with a façade of disdainful ridicule.
"You really need to start acting like a soldier, chubby-cheeks," Pietro scoffed.
"Pietro, shut up!" Rogue, Wanda, Starfire and Lance snapped at the albino Misfit.
Cyborg then spotted a foreign object in the middle of the charred rocks and twisted I-beams of steel before his breath caught on his throat.
"Oh my God…" Cyborg murmured, his face pale and looking as if he was going to be sick.
"Cyborg, what's wrong?" Forge asked, but Cyborg just then picked up a yellow, metal disk off the ground before showing it to all the heroes, giving them a good look at the familiar yellow and black emblem of a hexagon with the letter "H" in the middle of it.
"Oh no…" groaned Robin, his eyes wide beneath his mask.
Yet Karen then spoke what she, Robin, and Cyborg just realized, her stomach churning in tight knots as she cleared it up for the rest of her friends and allies.
"It's H.I.V.E. Academy…" Bumblebee said in a shaking voice, "We're in what's left of H.I.V.E. Academy. It's…it's been completely demolished."
Author's Notes: Check back next Friday for the chapter, "Loss" in which we finally learn the extent of Trigon's power as the Teen Titans, the Titans East, the Misfits, and the X-Men finally learn from Leomon the real truth about Raven and Trigon as Leomon reveals a shocking secret about the reason why he is on Earth (though I suppose some of you readers have already been able to guess it). And to make matters worse, the teenagers then finally learn from the survivors of H.I.V.E. Academy the horrific truth of where the Heartless came from as well as the consequences of the alliance with the Hellfire Club. With Trigon now on Earth, it is apparent that the Misfits, the Titans, and the X-Men must team up to stop the Hellfire Club and save Raven, but is there any hope, especially since they are alone and without the grown-ups? Find out next time, and until then, read and review! Constructive criticism welcome!